I get tilted when....

[prairieboy]

I'm working on my "not going on tilt" skills. Things that have caused me to go on tilt in the past (but don't necessarily tilt me today) include:

- My first losing session after an extended winning streak
- The A-hole that I really hate sucked out on me for a huge pot (and/or bluffed me out of a huge pot)
- Tracking my poker stat's too closely
- All-in cheaters late in a tournament
- Trying to reach an artificial goal and/or dropping below some artificial threshold e.g. I had $1500 at the table and was about to leave, then got AA cracked. Now I've got $1,350 and have to get my $150 back!
- Any setback when I'm really tired and should have quit an hour ago.

My solutions to date:

- I quit tracking my statistics entirely (although I'm seriously reconsidering this one)
- I dropped limits (so I don't care as much about losses)
- I keep less money online
- I play more tournaments and fewer ring games
- I add-on money quite frequently and buy in for odd values when playing so that the $ amount I have sitting in front of me doesn't hit a psychologically significant number. e.g. If I've got exactly $500 in front of me, I'll add another $32 to the pile - goofy, but it works.

What has caused you to tilt and how did you correct it?

[Franchise (TTT)]

It seems like you know you have a problem, but you're concentrating on quick fixes. It's always easier to do trivial things like patch your stack than it is to vow to change that aspect of your personality starting now.

[pretender2k]

I would like to add:

-I have gone too long with out sex
-I had a bad night at work and need to exert my manlyness
-I realize I should be doing this for a living but haven't gotten to that level yet
-When the kids really piss me off before playing
-When I start feeling alone at night while playing

[mosch]

My biggest tilt comes when I'm playing while travelling, not having been home for a long time. Hotel rooms suck, no matter how nice they are.

[Trix]

I loose
Play against bad players
People outdraw me
I dont get any starting hands
Ï dont hit any flops
People play too passive
My stats are bad
So pretty much all the time.

[Al Schoonmaker]

You and several other posters should be complimented on analyzing the factors that put you on tilt. MOST people do not know their "triggers." In "Part I: Avoiding It" of my series on tilt I state that it is critically important to do exactly what you've all done. Only then can you recognize that you're in danger and take intelligent steps to reduce that danger.
You can find Parts I and II of this series at cardplayer.com. Click on magazine, writers, and my name.
Tilt is extremely destructive, and understanding it is critically important.
Regards,
Al

[Dov]

My worst tilting seems to be after 2 or 3 bad beats in a row. That happened to me just last night, and I ended up throwing away a winner on the end, when all I had to do was show it down for a $400 pot. (I play live) I was so disgusted with myself that I just quit.

I try to keep an eye on things, especially after the first beat, but I am not always successful. Still, they say practice makes perfect.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

- tracking your poker stats too closely - well then you're the idiot

- all in cheaters get reported by me before the hand is even completed. I usually get satisfactory responses as I don't report such matters unless it is legitimate.

No artificial bankroll goal has ever upset me as I purposely keep my bankroll divided between at least four sites so as to avoid such psycological disturbances. I am never sure of my exact bankroll until the time when I see the need to add it all up.

Another thing is that online I never hesitate to speak my mind, even if it means berating the stupid-fu*king fish, because online I simply just don't FKing care, there are 10,000 idiots to take the place of every one you might piss off enough to quit playing. Live is another story, I am always nice, polite, and gentlemanly.

al

[prairieboy]

[ QUOTE ]
- tracking your poker stats too closely - well then you're the idiot

Another thing is that online I never hesitate to speak my mind, even if it means berating the stupid-fu*king fish, because online I simply just don't FKing care, there are 10,000 idiots to take the place of every one you might piss off enough to quit playing. Live is another story, I am always nice, polite, and gentlemanly.

al

[/ QUOTE ]

<font color="blue"> "- tracking your poker stats too closely - well then you're the idiot" </font>

Let me elaborate:

Given that:
1. Tracking one's poker stats is a highly instructive and valuable exercise.
2. Going on tilt is a highly destructive and expensive exercise.

In my personal experience:
I found that small changes in key statistics (e.g. my win rate dropped from 2.24 to 2.20 BB/100) induced many tilted sessions of play as I raced to get my stats back "up where they should be".

Net result: Tracking stats was -EV.

Short term solution: quit tracking the statistics
Long term solution: build more experience with the ebbs &amp; flows of poker results and then, when I'm confident that short term negative stats won't tilt me, reintroduce tracking stats.

Maybe I'm an idiot for letting insignificant changes tilt me (although I don't think tilt has much to do with intelligence), but to let the situation continue, well that would be really idiotic.

<font color="blue"> I never hesitate to speak my mind, even if it means berating the stupid-fu*king fish, because online I simply just don't FKing care, there are 10,000 idiots to take the place of every one you might piss off enough to quit playing. </font>

- When you berate 1 fish, you actually piss of 8 other players, not just the fish. So you're taking out a lot more players than you probably realize.
- The pool of online fish is huge, but not limitless.
- Why do you think it is ok to behave one way online and another way in live play?

[nothumb]

i get tilted when:
nobody respects my raises in limit.
everyone respects my raises in limit.

i'm getting stuck in the lose big/win small rut in some of my limit games, i think people are starting to pick up on my style or else it's just too rocky out there for me. so limit puts me on tilt. most of my home game opponents do not have as much understanding/control of betting as i do, so i benefit from being able to manipulate and read them with bets.

by the way, having never played an online tournament, what is 'all-in cheating?' thanks.